Bidspirit auction | “The waters have reached the

“The waters have reached the soul” — a heart-rending letter from the Chernobyl Rebbe, of blessed memory. Jerusalem, 1956 - A deeply stirring Hasidic letter, written by one of the most eminent and distinctive Hasidic rebbes of the previous generation in the Land of Israel—the holy Rebbe Rabbi Meshullam Zusia Twersky, the Chernobyl Rebbe, of blessed memory. Father of the present Chernobyl rebbes, and father-in-law of the late Rebbe of Kretshnif and, may he live long, the Vizhnitz Rebbe. Jerusalem, Nisan 1956. The letter was sent to one of the Jerusalem communal activists, a close associate of the holy Rabbi Yitzḥak Yeshayaleh of Tashkiv, son of the author of Divrei Ḥayyim of Sanz—who was the maternal grandfather of the Chernobyl Rebbe and who raised him as a son. Because of this multi-generational closeness, and despite his well-known delicacy of spirit, the Rebbe departs from his noble restraint and reveals, with rare candor, his dire personal circumstances. In the letter, the Rebbe writes in stark terms: “I am suffering severe hardship with six children; I have no sources with which to prepare the many needs of the festival; truly, the waters have reached the soul… a matter of life and death.” In an era of organized charity funds and structured support systems, it is difficult to imagine a reality in which even an ordinary person cannot find food for the festival of Passover. This letter reveals that the holy Rebbe himself—the glory of the Chernobyl dynasty, the continuator of the lineage from father to son back to its founder, the holy author of Ma’or Einayim—he and his household lived in extreme deprivation, to the point of literal hunger. Yet honor ultimately followed. A few years later, the Rebbe relocated to Bnei Brak, where he established his court. Multitudes flocked to him, and his sons—mentioned in this letter—are today counted among the most prominent Hasidic rebbes of our generation, while his daughters mentioned therein are married to leading rebbes of Israel. The holy Rebbe Rabbi Meshullam Zusia Twersky, the Chernobyl Rebbe (1910–1988), was the son of the Rebbe Rabbi Ḥayyim Yitzḥak of Chernobyl, a direct descendant of the founder of the Chernobyl dynasty, the holy author of Ma’or Einayim. On his mother’s side, he was a grandson of the author of Divrei Ḥayyim of Sanz. In 1934 he merited to immigrate from Russia to the Land of Israel. From 1936 to 1939, until the outbreak of the Holocaust, he resided in Poland with his grandfather Rabbi Yitzḥak Yeshayaleh of Tashkiv. He was the son-in-law of Rabbi Yaakov Mordechai Brandwein. He initially lived in Jerusalem and later moved to Bnei Brak, where he founded and established the Chernobyl Hasidic dynasty with distinction. His sons are the renowned Chernobyl rebbes in Israel and the United States. His sons-in-law include the Vizhnitz Rebbe and the Kretshnif Rebbe. [1] Official paper. 16 × 20.5 cm. Condition: good to very good. Filing holes.